‘Tell Me A Story’ Red Carpet Premiere Recap

CBS All Access subscribers are in for a spooky new series this Halloween. Tell Me A Story is the latest All Access exclusive set to premiere on the company’s streaming digital service and offers a dark, modern twist on classic fairy tales The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel And Gretel. Last night the cast of the show along with creator Kevin Williamson and Executive Producer Dana Honor descended upon The Metrograph in New York City for the show’s red carpet premiere.

“You can expect a brilliant intertwining of fairy tales that everyone on earth has heard but never quite like this,” said Becki Newton who plays a hotel manager named Katrina. “Kevin Williamson’s mind is brilliant and he can put stories together in such an original and entertaining way. I think everyone will be blown away.”

The show is set in the concrete jungle of New York City and the backdrop of the city that never sleeps plays a major role within the story.

“New York has been made such a character on the show,” said Danielle Campbell, who portrays a modern day Little Red Riding Hood named Kayla. “We shot in Brooklyn, we shot in uptown Manhattan, we shot in the villages, we shot all over the place so you really get a feel for the city. I think shows that shoot in other cities and try to stage New York, you get the feel that it’s a big busy city but you don’t get to see all the iconic New York places. We shot in Central Park which was a bucket list thing for me and it was so cool. You see all these New York places that we all know and associate with the city.”

As for the show’s source material, the question asked is, “What would these classic fairy tales look like set in the modern world?” Bringing these classic stories into the 21st century was a tall task for Williamson and company but according to Dania Ramirez, who plays the role of Gretel as Hannah Porter, the Tell Me A Story crew was more than up to the task.

“It’s very interesting because Kevin Williamson has created this original take on these dark fairy tales,” said Ramirez. “Hansel And Gretel being one of them which deals with cannabalism and them being thrown out on a witch’s doorstep. It’s all about what it would look like today. What is our version of the candy? In our story it’s a bunch of cash and I’m kicking everyone’s ass the whole time to get it!”

CBS veteran James Wolk (Zoo) stars in Tell Me A Story as Jordan, a restaurateur whose life is thrown into turmoil resulting in a dark path of vengeance driven by, of all tales, The Three Little Pigs. Wolk shared his feelings on working with CBS again and his hopes for the series premiere later month.

“I’m happy to be on another CBS show and this is really cool because it’s CBS All Access so it has a little bit of a different feel, it’s been a joy,” said Wolk. “I love working with CBS and this script that Kevin wrote – I was blown away. I hope it all comes together and we did justice to the pilot that he wrote. It’s grounded and dark and dangerous and dramatic. As an actor what more could you want?”

Danielle Campbell and James Wolk answer questions on the CBS All Access Red Carpet for ‘Tell Me A Story’ (Photo Credit: Matt Weiss)

Being that the show is on CBS All Access, this series has a unique opportunity to experiment with a non-traditional format. Tell Me A Story season one will come to a true conclusion at the end of its 10-episode arc, an unorthodox approach that Danielle Campbell believes sets it apart from the rest of the television landscape.

“I think what’s cool about this show is you get a beginning, middle and an end in one season,” said Campbell. “You see these stories come to their conclusion this season and you get a full story arc. There’s nothing like this on TV and that’s something that really drew me into the project because it’s so special, the writing is incredible, the cinematography is gorgeous. I’ve been surrounded by so many really talented people and I’m so proud to be a part of this.”

Tell Me A Story comes exclusively to CBS All Access on Wednesday, October 31 with new episodes dropping every Thursday on demand.